God so loved, that He gave…

There’s a book by Townsend entitled “Hiding from love.” His point, is that out of fear, and bad experiences in the past, we are often reluctant to risk entering into new relationships. Townsend together with Dr. Cloud speak a lot about boundaries in relationships. Healthy boundaries need to have gates, that while keeping the bad out, can let the good in and let the bad out. If our boundaries are walls, then although at some level they may protect us, they also keep the bad in and the good out!

It’s helpful to know, or at least to hope, that a person we are entering into relationship with is safe. I know of many people, who often through bad teaching or otherwise shut God out. In particular they fear they will be condemned. But the verse following this partial quote from John 3:16 says “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved.”

Part of what I’m saying here, is that God is safe. John 3:16 is so well known, it’s easy to skip over what is actually saying. God so loved, that is God loved you and me in the most extraordinary way, that He sent his one and only Son in order that he can blot out our sins, and be both just and loving. A righteous judge has to punish our bad, our sin. But our righteous judge is the very essence of love (1 John 4:8) and, at incredible cost to himself, has punished His Son in our place so that we can go free (1 Peter 3:18).

So in fact, God is very safe, very good and very loving. Jesus said “He that hears my Word, and puts his trust in Him who sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but has passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

Father, as I continued to mourn the passing of my dear friend Ruth, it is very obvious to me, that in spite of her deep woundedness, she was a channel of Your love to many. Her life challenges me this morning. Lord please deal with anything in my life that is in any way a hindrance to your love flowing through me. And I will give You all the honour, all the glory and all the praise in Jesus Name Amen

unless a seed die it abides alone

Have you ever wished you could make choices for others? I mean you see others making poor choices all the time, and it’s perfectly obvious to you, that the choices that they are making are destructive to themselves and others. On the other hand there are bright lights. I’m thinking of someone who told me not long ago “I did not realize how selfish I was until I got married!”

I happen to know that both parties in this marriage feel the same way, and there is much hope for this marriage! One way to describe what is happening in this marriage is to say that both parties are dying to their self-centredness. And the heart of the matter, is that at heart most of us are stubborn, self-centred and self-willed. We want what we want, and we want it now! It’s all about my rights, my goals, or in the words of a famous Beatles song “I, me, mine!”

The Scripture says, that we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). In other words if we make good choices there is good fruit, but if we make bad choices bad things come of it. And more often than not, the fruit of these bad choices is loneliness and isolation, we abide alone!

The quote at the head of this post from John 12: 24 continues with “but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” In context Jesus is talking about His coming crucifixion. It’s important to know this, because God never calls us to do something that he himself has not done, but in far greater measure.

This morning as I contemplate what to say at a memorial service for a friend of mine, I am very aware of two things. The first is how incredibly wounded she was, and the second is how in spite of this she was able to allow God to love many, many others through her. And my thoughts this morning centred around how to the extent that we are willing to let the Lord put to death the deeds and desires of our sinful nature, is the extent to which we are able to love others as channels of His love.

Father, I choose this morning to cooperate with You by Your spirit to put to death the deeds and the desires of the flesh (Romans 8:13). I know that we do not die easily to our selfishness. I do not! But Lord, I do desire that my life would produce much fruit for Your kingdom, and for Your glory In Jesus Name Amen

Hurt people hurt people!

There are some books you hardly need to read, because the title essentially says it all. In fact the title of this post is the name of one such book. What it means is that when we are hurt, our default response is to hurt others. We may not mean to, but more often than not we do! And who has not been hurt?

We are not responsible for the bad things that we receive at the hands of others, but we are responsible for our response to these things. And unless we deal with our hurts in a functional way, we will inevitably end up hurting others. But what does it mean to deal with our hurts in a functional way?

We need to know that among other things, Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted (Luke 4:18). And while I do not wish to undermine in any way the eternal aspect of the gift of life that comes with the gospel, there is an aspect of the gospel that I see many Christians missing out on. In particular many miss out on having their hearts healed.

Last day, I was talking about the benefits of forgiveness, and the need to let go of our victim mentality. Unless we do this, and we need help to do this, at least I did, we will not be healed, we will remain hurt, and inevitably go on to hurt others. it’s helpful to me to realize that those who hurt me were themselves hurt by people who were hurt etc. etc.

It’s not only in families, but it is supremely in families that this happens. In particular the sins of our ancestors impact is deeply (Exodus 20:5). But there is a principal/promise that follows this description of our generational dysfunction. In particular extracting the meaning of the next verse (Exodus 20:6) we are told that we can stop this cycle of hurt by yielding to God, choosing to love Him and our neighbours as ourselves. Jesus puts it this way “if you continue in my word, then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31,32).

Father, these things are not an instant fix. I have learnt that consistent continuing in Your Word, and in obedience to it draws me deeper into Your love. This in turn helps me obey this commandment to love You. Thank You for the healing that You have brought to me, and continue to bring to me. I praise You this morning for You are faithful, and Your Word is true. I bless Your Name in Jesus Name Amen

Forgiveness: Psychology arrives thousands of years after the Bible

The connections between psychology and the Judeo-Christian faith have fascinated me for a very long time. In what is perhaps my limited knowledge of both psychology and the Scriptures, I have observed that whenever a psychological principle works, inevitably it can be found in the Scriptures. This morning I want to look at what both Psychology and the Scriptures say about forgiveness.

In the Psychology Today Blog (September 16, 2014) we read “And the truth is that forgiveness is more powerful than you might think. Just like with anything in life, there are costs to your choices. Staying angry, resentful, and vengeful comes at a price. All these feelings can have a detrimental impact on your physical and emotional health as well as your relationships.

Psychologically, when people reported higher levels of forgiveness, they also tended to report better health habits and decreased depression, anxiety, and anger levels. Even in betrayed couples, greater levels of forgiveness were associated with more satisfied relationships, a stronger parenting alliance, and children's perceptions of parenting functioning. Physiologically, higher reported levels of forgiveness were associated with lower white blood cell count and hematocrit levels. White blood cells are an integral part of fighting off diseases and infections. Together, these results highlight the importance of forgiveness - not for the other person, but for you. Don't allow your mind and your body to go through another day feeling vengeful and angry.”

From the spiritual point of view, I want to pick up on what the article says about both the impact and the cost of forgiveness/unforgiveness. In particular there is a spiritual impact and cost to unforgiveness. Jesus taught us to ask God to forgive us for what we have done wrong, in exactly the same way that we forgive others for the things that they have done to us. He goes on to say that if we do not forgive, neither will we be forgiven. If you think about this, this is just! And this has to be one of the more scary prayers to pray. As I have said before what I want when I die is mercy, not justice. So firstly then from a spiritual point of view, we need to forgive others, because we ourselves need to be forgiven!

The article also talks about the cost of unforgiveness. But there is a cost to forgiveness too. To be told that we need to forgive someone who has abused us for example, can seem as abusive as the original abuse. And in this and other cases, the cost of forgiving others can seem too high! The point though, as we have been discussing, is that we need to forgive for our own sake, not for theirs.

So in fact the victim needs to be a better person than the abuser. It’s the same, but actually far, far greater in our relationship with God. God needed to find a way to be both just and merciful, and He did this by sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. An analogy might be helpful. If we are taken to court and sentenced to a huge fine which we are unable to pay, then both justice and mercy can be served by the judge paying our fine for us. This is what Jesus did, for “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). A gift of course, has to be received. Have you received it yet?

Father, help me never to take for granted the incredible cost of my salvation. Help me to remember this in times when I find it difficult to let go of my resentment and unforgiveness. I Love You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

The Christian’s hope, an anchor for the soul

We have just had to say goodbye to a young woman, too young to have died, who touched many, many lives. One of her friends expressed the hope that she is in heaven, and I was able to assure her that indeed she is. And I could do this, because the Christian’s hope is a sure hope, and as the context of the title of this post from Hebrews 6:19 tells us, it’s based on the character and promise of the One who cannot lie.

Some like to think that God will weight their good and bad deeds. That is not my hope! First of all, that is not how justice works. Our guilt or lack thereof, has nothing to do with whether we help little old ladies across the street or not. As for me, what I want when I die, is mercy not justice. If I had to wait until I die to find out if I was good enough for heaven, this hope would not be an anchor for my soul!

The Christian’s hope is an anchor, because it sets us free to be all that we can be. I discovered an illustration of this while rereading some of the books I read as a boy. I loved C. S. Forrester’s Hornblower series. In one particular novel, Hornblower was tasked with recovering gold from a sunken Galleon. The hot tempered surgeon had shot, in a dual, the Philippine diver who was the hope of this recovery. Hornblower told the surgeon that if the diver died, so would he. The surgeon, who needed to remove the bullet from the diver, implored Hornblower to release him from the threat. “If, at a critical point in the operation, I remember your threat,” he told Hornblower, “it could cause my hand to tremble, and what you intend to make me do my best, could be the very thing that brings failure!”

Hornblower in his wisdom, releases the surgeon, who is then set free to do his best. Likewise the Christian is set free from the threat of eternal judgement to do his or her very best. What was so impressive about my friend, was that although she was a deeply troubled individual she was, because of the hope within her, able many times by the power of the Holy Spirit to minister to others in a very loving and effective way.

Father, I thank you for the life of my friend who, in spite of her pain, was able to live out the reality of the hope within her. It was indeed an anchor for her soul. Help me so to live, in Jesus Name Amen

know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Is it always wrong to knowingly do or say something that will hurt another person? Certainly we should avoid hurting others whenever possible. But sometimes the goals of doing the right thing and of not hurting someone are incompatible. Let me explain.

It’s very difficult at times to come to terms with the truth, in particular to admit that something we have been doing is wrong. And it is so difficult, that many times we may need help to see it. I am saying this, because while we may know that the right thing to do is to come alongside someone and seek to turn them from the error of their way, it’s not always well received. Sometimes hearing the truth can hurt!

This is certainly true in my own experience in both giving and receiving the truth. On my heart this morning, are some things that I felt I needed to say that were not well received. This person became very angry, and the relationship is still not healed. So does that mean I should not have said what I did?

In situations like this, it’s very easy to second-guess yourself. But the Lord recently brought the above verse from James 5:20 to my attention, and with it the assurance that I did the right thing. I have to trust Him with this, and to know that although the outcome still does not look positive, the story is not yet over!

Father, thank You for Your assurance this morning, that I did the right thing. A parallel verse from Galatians 6:1 is also coming to mind telling me of my obligation to seek to restore in gentleness and humility. And while I have not always done this well, I know that You will redeem what was lacking in my approach. Thank You Lord that You promise that You work for good even in this, especially in this (Romans 8:28). I give You all the honour and the glory and the praise in Jesus Name Amen

The heart is deceitful above all and desperately wicked

Have you ever noticed that it’s very easy to see the faults in others, but not so easy to see them in ourselves? Have you noticed that people are more ready to blame others, that to take responsibility for their part in whatever went wrong. Have you observed that other people tend to minimize their own faults, while at the same time maximizing the other person’s? Have you ever thought that most people seem to have things out of balance, but when you look at your own life you seem to be perfectly in balance?

When I think about this, I like to ask myself if everyone else I see is blind and out of balance, can I be the only one who is not? And if I am honest, I put the probability of this null hypothesis being true, as very close to zero.

So why is this, why are we all so blind to our own faults? I got into trouble, even among Christians, for quoting this verse at the head of this post from Jeremiah 17:9. The reality, the truth, and the applicability of this to my own life, came home to me in a very dramatic way many years ago now. I had gone through a broken marriage, and had blamed her 100% for what went wrong. So convinced was I, that she was evil that I had murder in my heart. And the scary thing for me, is that I am not at all sure that I would not have gone through with it if I thought I could’ve gotten away with it. But when the Holy Spirit convicted me of sin, I started to see that I was very far from blameless, I was devastated. I am grateful however, that He showed this to me, because when He did, two important things happened.

The first was that I started to see that there was much truth and wisdom in the Scriptures. I was saying things like “This book knows me!” In particular it knows my propensity to rationalize my actions and to blame others rather than take responsibility for them. I saw truly that my heart had deceived me. The second thing, was I started to see my need for Him and His guidance, and this led to my repentance, subsequent conversion, and the start of a life worth living!

Father, thank You for revealing to me how very much I need You, and how very much I needed to be rescued from myself. Thank You Lord that Your ways are good and right and wholesome, and that they increasingly bring life in all its fullness (John 10:10b). In Jesus Name Amen

When I am weak, then I am strong!

It’s no wonder, as the Scripture says, that the wisdom of the cross is foolishness to the unbeliever (1 Corinthians 1:18). But if God exists, and He is indeed a very present help in times of need (Psalm 46:1), then such apparent contradictions make perfect sense. Let me use an analogy to explain.

One of the promises of the Word of God comes in James 1:5. It says “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives liberally to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” Many times I find myself in circumstances not knowing what to do or say. In this condition I qualify for this promise, I lack wisdom! So I come to Him, and ask. Over and over He has shown me what to say or what to do, and when I follow this to the best of my ability, then most times things just seem to work out. So then when I have lacked wisdom, I have received His wisdom. So along the lines of the quote at the head of this post, I can safely say that when I’m not wise, then I am wise.

A paraphrase of Philippians 2:12, 13 would say that when I totally surrender to Him, then He actively works in me in two ways. First of all, He works in me to change my desires. For me this is huge! Over and over my emotions, my desires get in the way. And this principle/promise really works. In particular when I give my desires to Him, He starts the process of changing them. The second thing here, is that He gives me the wherewithal to do what I cannot do without Him. What I am saying, is that when I give Him my all, then not only does He deal with my emotions, He makes up for what I am unable to do. So then truly when I am weak, and I throw myself on Him, then in Him I become strong. And so in this way the verse at the head of this post from 2 Corinthians 12:9, makes perfect sense.

Father, Your word tells me to be strong in You. It took me a while to learn to take on Your strength. But You are indeed a very present, and a very practical help, in times of need. Thank You Lord for the reality of Your wisdom, Your love, Your peace, Your hope, Your joy and Your strength in my life. I praise and thank You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God

One of the more dominant World views in the West, is materialism. I am referring to the view that physical mater is all there is, and that all things, including mental aspects and consciousness, are results of material interactions. In particular we are nothing more than a random collection of molecules, that somehow the universe put together by chance.

In my view, there are many devastating implications of this view. In particular life is meaningless, love, beauty and joy are all illusionary, and mankind has no destiny other than the grave! Into the darkness and the bankruptcy of this World view Jesus, from this verse from Matthew 4:4, speaks Words of life. There are two thoughts that I want to draw out of this, this morning.

The first cones out of the first phrase “Man does not live by bread alone.” Jesus is not here saying, that our dietary requirements need to include more than bread, the staple of the Middle East. He is saying that in order to live, really live as opposed to simply existing, there is another food of which we need to partake. Using the same word for life as in this quotation, Jesus in John 10:10b says that He came in order that we might have fullness of life.

Attaching the word “fullness,” to the word “life” in this context, has the implication that we can have a form of life, that can be described as anything other than full. The saying “Most men live lives of quiet desperation,” comes to mind. So the question comes to you and me, are we living life to the full? I’m not saying that I have arrived, but I can say that there are a number of significant stages in my life, turning points if you like, that moved me out of death into a fuller life in the here and now. Part of what I’m saying is that this is a process, and that the secret is found in the second phrase and in the second thing that I want to say this morning.

The second phrase then “but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God,” comes with the implication that if we want to truly live, then we need to feed on His Word. I want to say that there are two words in the Greek that are translated “Word” in our English texts. The first “Logos,” reflects the ideas of Greek philosophy where it is said to refer to “the rational argument.” So when Logos is used, in the Scripture, it often points us to reason. In particular, the logical response to the the Logos of God is obedience (see for example Matthew 7:24).

The second word translated “Word,” is the Greek word Rhema, and while this word includes the idea of Logos, there is more to it than that. Jesus explains this in John 16:63, where he says “The Rhemata (plural of Rhema) that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. In other words there is a living aspect to the Rhema words.

Most Christians, and those moving towards becoming Christians, have likely experienced a verse in the Scriptures coming alive. We can read a passage over and over, but suddenly the verse or the passage stands out to us. So what’s happened here, is that the Lagos word became a Rhema word. Recently in the fellowship when we were discussing how to move from anxiety to peace, one person told us that he reads the Scriptures until something stands out to him that speaks to his situation. So this really is him seeking a and receiving a Rhema word from among the Logos words.

But there is another aspect of a Rhema word, and we see an example of this in Mary’s response to the angel telling her she will give birth to Jesus. Her response was “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your Rhama.” That is a Rhema word can be a word, not found in the Bible, not of course inconsistent with the Bible, but rather a personal Word to us and for us. Jesus tells us that His sheep know His voice (John 10:27). Now more often than not He speaks to us through the Scriptures as above, but as with Mary, He can also give us a Rhema word that speaks to a specific situation. For example a Rhama word can come to us if we are wondering if we should take a job or not!

And I experienced both of these aspects of the Rhema word this morning. In writing these posts I have been asking the Lord each morning to give me something to share that is relevant to my life. This morning I had been anxious about a number of different things, and out of the blue, as it were, I received the Word at the head of this post. It was a Rhema word for me. Yes it’s all God’s Word, and it is a Lagos word, but the Lord also illuminated it so it was also a Rhema word. With this Word, He was also reminding me of some premises that He has made to me, and He was telling me to feed on them, and in particular to trust Him. And because He knows my frame, He knows that I am but dust, He also reminded me of a confirmation that He gave me, that enabled me earlier to try a door. And part of the Rhema word was another Lagos word that had become Rhema word. That is He illuminated the Scripture “I open and no one can shut, and I shut and no one can open” (Revelation 3:7).

Father, truly Your Words are spirit and they are life. Thank You that over and over You bring comfort, strength and wisdom as I come to You morning by morning through Your Rhema Words which re truly the bread of life. Thank You, thank You, thank You. In Jesus Name Amen

Presence (Principles, promises, power and presence VI)

When I was talking earlier about unconditional promises, I referenced “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). And I promised to come back to talk about this when I talked about His Presence, here in this last section.

I want to start by unpacking this verse. There is a reason that this promise sounds a little bit like marriage vows, and the reason is that it’s God’s intention and that Christian marriage should be a living parable of our relationship with God (Ephesians 5:31,32). In particular our relationship with God is intended to be very, very real. And the very least of what that means is that we are intended to experience our relationship with Him. How else could He comfort us (2 Corinthians 1:3,4), and what else would it mean that He is a very present help in times of need (Psalm 46:1)?

And this is meant both individually and corporately in our various fellowships. Has He not promised that when we meet in His name He is there in the very midst (Matthew 18:20)? And while He is the unseen guest, does He intend that this is nothing more than a mere platitude? Are we not told, that He inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3 KJV).

For the first twenty or so years of my Christian walk, I heard very little about this aspect of Christianity. It’s not that it wasn’t there, it was kind of taken for granted. But the sort of thing that was emphasized was rules, regulations, holiness and working for the Lord. In fact I can look back on this period and realize that I was a Christian workaholic.

Now I am not saying that these things are not important but, at least what I was getting was that the emphasis tended to be on that the above things were what made me right with the Lord. And at about the end of that time, I began to see that these things were intended to flow out of my relationship with Him, rather than form the basis of it. I also started to understand, that my emphasis on these things were actually hindering my relationship with Him.

In fact I really did not know who I was in the Lord. I was taking my identity from what I was doing for Him. But then through a major crisis in my life, when things began to fall apart, I was thrown back on relationship. It started with my need to tap into the comfort that He brings. In many ways it was a crossroad. Did I believe that He was real, and did I believe the many promises He had given me? I have said this before, but it’s true that we don’t know that God is all we need, until God is all we have!

So how did I get there, how did I get where I am today? I’m not saying that I have arrived, because no matter how close we get to Him, no matter how deep our relationship with Him, there is always more. I want to close with two scriptures. The first is a promise from James 4:8. It says “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you!” It’s not that it’s all up to us, in fact God is the great initiator. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). What more could he have done then send his son to live and die to reconcile us to Himself? But we do need to respond, and that is part of what the James reference means. In fact the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength (Matthew 22:37). So this is the second Scripture. And I have found that when I do my part, He meets me more than halfway, and I am drawn more and more into the heart of His extravagant all healing love.

Father, I thank You for Your presence in my life, and in the fellowship. Thank You Lord, that You are far more willing to enter into this relationship of love, than we are to pursue You. Thank You that You are the great initiator, and that You pursued me as it were down the labyrinth of ways. Thank You that You more than make up what I bring to You. Help me, help all of us to draw near, that we might receive Your promise that You will draw near to us. I give You all the honour, and all the glory of all the praise in Jesus Name Amen

Power (Principles, promises, power and presence V)

The famous evangelist D. L. Moody is said to have sought to rise to the challenge “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man (person) who is fully committed to Him.” The impetus for this series of posts of which this is the fourth, came from the comparison of “God as you understand him to be,” in classical twelve-step programs, with Jesus Christ as the supreme higher power. In any case however, the first three steps have to do with seeing our need of our higher Power, understanding that He/she or it has the power to help us, and then turning our will and our lives over to the care and control of the said higher power.

So the whole focus of this set of posts, is to unpack the superiority of Christ as our higher Power, and in particular to speak about four advantages that are summed up in the four words principles, promises, power and presence. Today we are looking at “power.”

The secret of rising to the challenge mentioned above, is all about entering into partnership with God. There is much truth in the saying “Without God man cannot, without man God will not.” Surely this is what Paul meant when he called the Christian a co-labourer with Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9). In fact one of the primary tasks of Christian growth is to move from the various stages either of complete helplessness, or total independence. As in any healthy adult relationship, a primary goal is interdependence, where each side plays their appropriate part.

There is an interesting phrase in 2 Corinthians 12:9, where Paul says “When I am weak then I am strong.” This phrase is nonsense to the unbeliever, but to the one who is starting to know the power of God, it makes perfect sense. In helping him move from his self righteous independence to interdependence, the Lord had to allow things in Paul’s life that completely overwhelmed him. Paul describes this experience as something akin to a death sentence. Seeing God working through this Paul tells us “We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:9, 10).

So this is the first part of what I am trying to say when I am talking about the power that comes from having Christ as our higher power. I am talking about the power to go on and not to give up, the power that we find in trusting Him in every and all circumstances. I that is the power that comes the intervention of God in our lives. Sometimes God changes the circumstances. But sometimes, in my experience, He leaves us in the circumstances but gives us the power, the strength to carry on. The Scripture puts it this way, He is a very present help in time of need (Psalm 46:1).

The other aspect of God’s power, comes in the form of the miraculous. I’m not saying that the deliverance that Paul was talking about above is not miraculous, I am really wanting to emphasize that there are times when God circumvents the normal laws of nature. I am talking about what happens when we lay hands on and pray for the sick and they are healed in Jesus name. For the first twenty or so years of my christian life I saw very little of this. In the last twenty or so years I am seeing more and more of it. Indeed I have received miraculous healings in my own body, as well as healings in the fellowship, and beyond.

Some will find this very hard to believe, and part of this is that we live in a culture of unbelief, where we do not expect the miraculous to happen. And because we don’t believe, we don’t ask, and when we don’t ask, as James tells us, we do not receive (James 4: 2). So then part of the challenge that D. L. Moody sought to rise to, is believing that what God says He will do in his Word, He will do. I am far from fully there yet, but I am seeking to press into His promise “Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).

Father, I read in your Word “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). Lord I need a revelation of this truth, a revelation that allows me to enter into it in a practical way. Lord I understand that this is nothing less than the declaration “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Lord I believe, help my unbelief. In Jesus Name Amen

Promises (II) ( Principles, promises, power and presence IV)

Last day I was saying that there are two kinds of promises. There are the “if – then” promises which I dealt with then, and then there are the unconditional promises. To me the most precious of these latter promises, is “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). But I want to leave that one until I talk about His Presence.

So what are some of the other unconditional promises? Perhaps the one that helped me the most in my early days of being a Christian, is the one in Romans 8:28 which says “ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This was particularly helpful for me, because I had messed up so mightily in life. I had so many regrets, so many things I wish I could have changed, but of course you can’t change the past. It was comforting to know that God could even use the garbage of my past for my good. It’s not always obvious how he does this, but sometimes He shows us. In this particular case, I could see that without my past mistakes I would likely not have found Him and His incredible healing love.

At a time of incredible emotional pain, the Lord woke me from my sleep one time and brought Psalm 30:5b to my attention “Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” When he does things like this, such verses come alive. It’s hard to describe it if you never experienced it, but you somehow know that God is speaking to you through such a verse, and because you trust Him, because you know that God is not a man that he should lie (Numbers 23:19), you know it’s true, and it somehow strengthens you and enables you to carry on.

Another such promise that came alive to me at a time when decisions we were making were deeply affecting the family, the Lord brought Isaiah 54:13 to my attention. It says “All your children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your children.” Again, because I trust Him, this verse and others like it brought me into peace.

At the same time, and not for the first time, the Lord was assuring me that He has plans for me, plans for good and not for evil, to give me a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). I had also been experiencing an almost debilitating shame, and He whispered through His Word “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame ….” (Isaiah 54:4). This is some time ago now, and the nakedness of my shame at that time has all but gone.

The apostle Peter says of the promises of the Word of God that they are exceedingly great and precious (2 Peter 1:4), and essentially that through then we can enter into the fullness of life that Christ promised us (John 10:10b). Several years ago now, I started a file on my computer entitled “Promises.” And when I find myself feeling down, distressed or discouraged, I open the file and read again some the promises He has underlined for me in this way. It’s 14 pages long! I just opened it to see how long it is, and as I did so, another promise from Isaiah 54 jumped out at me. It is part of verse 17 which says “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD…. “ These and many, many other promises bring me hope and peace and strength and joy.

Father, I thank You this morning for Your exceedingly great and precious promises. I thank You for the one I will unpack later that You will never leave me, nor forsake me. Thank You Lord I am finally starting to enter into life in all its fullness. And I give You all the honour and all the glory and all the praise in Jesus Name Amen

Promises ( Principles, promises, power and presence III)

There are two types of promises for the believer, the first is what I call the “if – then” kind of promise, and then there is the unconditional promise. By the “if – then” type of promise, I mean a promise that has a premise, a condition that needs to be fulfilled before the conclusion of the promise can be claimed. A simple example of this comes in 1 John 1:9, which says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This example of an “if – then” promise comes over and over in different forms in the Scripture, and constitutes the kernel of the good news. I’m fond of saying that if you are an unbeliever, then the biggest difference between you and me, is that I am forgiven, I am declared legally righteous before God. We see this in Paul, who having come to the place where he saw his self-righteousness as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), now compares his it to dung (Philippians 3:8 KJV). He says that he does this in order that he might “gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:8, 9). In other words he now stands in Christ's righteousness, which is God's gift (Ephesians 2:8,9).

The “if” part of an if – then promise does not have to contain the word “if.” For example the rather long-winded version of John 5:24 from the amplified Bible reads “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, the person who hears My word [the one who heeds My message], and believes and trusts in Him who sent Me, has (possesses now) eternal life [that is, eternal life actually begins—the believer is transformed], and does not come into judgment and condemnation, but has passed [over] from death into life." There are two conditions here, the first is to hear, and as the Greek implies, obey. The second is to put one’s trust in Christ for salvation. When these conditions are fulfilled, then conclusion of the promise, that eternal life has begun in the here and now, and continues into eternity, can then be claimed.

One week ago today, a precious sister in the Lord passed from this life. She touched many, many people with her love, concern and unconditional acceptance. One of her grieving friends expressed the hope that she is in heaven. And I was able to assure her, that she is indeed there, not because she or in fact anyone of us deserve it, but because it had been promised by the One who is faithful and true.

Still thinking about if – then promises, one of the most powerful comes in John 8:31, 32 which says “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. I have said this before, and no doubt I will say it again, but I hear the bald statement “the truth shall set you free,” spoken again and again. But this phrase is the conclusion of a promise, and cannot be claimed unless the condition of the promise is fulfilled. Indeed sometimes the truth causes us to stumble!

Notice that this promise is given to believers. Now even for the unbeliever, the truth can set you free, since the principles of his word work even for the unbeliever. But the point I want to make is that just because you are a believer does not mean that you are free! And perhaps the reason that Christianity is so weak in the West, is because many who enter into salvation, who through neglect have failed to obtain the freedom that is available in Christ. and when we fail to do this, we become no different from the world. And this causes many to stumble. In fact I can say without fear of contradiction, but I have been hurt more by those who claim to know Christ, than those who make no such claim. At such times I refuse to judge the value of Christianity by those who make such claims. In fact, if I allow the conduct of other Christians to cause me to stumble, then my faith is not in Christ, but in his followers! More to come stay tuned!

Father, thank You for the gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8, 9). I know Lord that it is Your intention that the assurance of Your unconditional acceptance is designed to set me free to do my best for You. But I am also very aware that as the Scripture says in many things we all fail (James 3:2). Thank You that Your mercy is great, and thank You too for Your discipline when I fail to measure up. I know that You love me exactly as I am, but You love me far too much to leave me that way. Thank You that even Your discipline, helps me to know that I am loved and accepted (Hebrews 12:6). Thank You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Principles and precepts ( Principles, promises, power and presence II)

I have heard many people ask “How can something thousands of years old (the Bible) be relevant today?” But just because something is old does not mean it’s not true or relevant. I mean the wheel was invented centuries ago, and we certainly can’t dispense with the wheel!

I believe there is a reason Judaism is more successful than the rest of the world. The Jews have more Nobel prizes per capita and more innovation per capita, in fact Israel is known as “The startup nation.” To me, it is very clear that a big part of this is the lasting effect of centuries of being immersed in the principles and precepts of Scripture.

Last day I was talking about the advantages a 12 step program has when the higher power is identified as the Christ of Scripture. This morning I want to talk about the advantage of embracing the principles and precepts of Scriptures as our guide.

I want to start off by drawing attention to some of the claims Scripture makes of itself. In Psalm 119:105, we read “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” In Proverbs 14:12 we have “There is a way (a path) that seems right to a man, but the ends thereof are destruction.” As part of my journey to becoming a Christian, I was suffering the consequences, the destruction if you like, of my poor choices. And I read the above and “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked whatsoever a man sows that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

And I had deceived myself, I had not even considered that my poor choices would have such negative consequences, and the consequences of that what seemed like small choices turned out to be enormous. In fact my life is a perfect illustration of this last Scripture. I mean if you plant potatoes you don’t get carrots, and if you plant one potato you get many potatoes. Even so in my rebellion I was reaping a harvest of consequences of my rebellion. These included a broken marriage, separation from my beautiful little daughter, and a whole cartload of emotional pain and brokenness. So when I came to the Scriptures, and read some of the above verses I thought “This book knows me!” But back then I had no idea just how much it knows me.

I have come to realize that there is much wisdom in the ancient scriptures. In fact I have found that the principles and precepts of the Scriptures are a faithful guide, a light that illuminates the way I should go. And I have found in His ways, in the ways revealed in the Bible, there is life, and health and peace. In the words of a chorus that we sing over and over in the fellowship “I don’t want to go back to my old life!”

In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read “ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” One way to look at this, is to see that Scripture shows us the right path (teaching), it shows us how we got off the path (reproof), it shows us how to get back on the path (correction) and it shows us how to stay on the path (instruction in righteousness). The next verse goes on to say that these things equip us for life. And I see the proof of these things not only in my own life, but in the life of many who take Christ as their higher power in the Christ centered recovery program 'Celebrate Recovery.' More to come, stay tuned!

Father, I had to learn the hard way that when You say no it’s for our provision and our protection. But thank You Lord that I did learn it. All those accusations about You being a killjoy are simply not true, but thank You that You use the pain that follows our poor choices, to help us to find You. I praise You Lord in Jesus Name Amen.

Principals and promises, power and presence

There are reasons for the tendency of the wide variety of twelve-step programs to be more successful than other programs. And in fact, the more seriously the 12 steps are worked, the more successful is the outcome. Actually, we can all benefit from doing this. I have seen over and over, that people who come into these programs to help “those people,” often find that they are one of those people! In fact that happened to me.

I tell the men who come to our related programs in the penitentiary, that what you get out of the program is directly related to what you put into it. But it’s not just the effort that one puts into working the steps that makes it more or less successful, it has a lot to do with the “higher power,” that one embraces.

For those not familiar with the 12 steps I should say that step 2 says “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity,” while step 3 says “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” In talking to people in the various 12-step programs and asking them who or what is their higher power, I get a variety of answers. For some their higher power is the group itself, for others it’s their mother, I have even heard some say “it’s a tree!”

Clearly, some higher powers are more powerful than others! But whatever it is (paraphrasing the first step of the 12 steps) it is necessary to acknowledge our need of something greater than ourselves, to acknowledge some power greater than ourselves. When all I have is me, then I am limited to my strength, my wisdom, and my ability to live and shape my life. But, as the saying goes “Most men live lives of quiet desperation.” And I believe no matter where you are in life, you could benefit from the principles that lie behind 12 step program.

I often tell the man in the penitentiary who come to our programs “If your higher power is a tree, I don’t know how much help you going to get from your tree, or if your higher power is your mother, what’s going to happen when she dies?” Part of what I’m saying, is that if your higher power is the Christ of classical Christianity, then there are at least three advantages you can embrace. In particular that are the principles and promises of the Word of God, there is the power available to us in relationship with Christ, and finally there is the stabilizing strength, comfort, hope and joy of his presence. This post it is in fact, an introduction to a series on these things, but let me say something very briefly on these three advantages.

The principles of Scripture can seem like common sense when you hear them. For example “A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). My point is though, that it rings true, it’s good advice, and it works! The promise “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), has been for me a stabilizing influence in my life, as I have dealt with loneliness. In fact the fulfilment of this promise has given me the power to carry on, as I over and over I have experienced the comfort hope and joy of the reality of His presence.

Coming to the reasons that twelve-step programs tend to be more successful than others seems to me to be entirely due to the fact that the 12 steps are squarely based on biblical principles. However, in my experience, the programs are far more effective when we acknowledge Christ as the higher power. Even in terms of principles, though the 12 steps are based on biblical principles, there are many others that are not contained in the 12 steps. In addition there is no real access to “the exceedingly great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4). On top of this we have access neither to Christ’s mighty power that strengthens the inner man (Ephesians 3:16), nor to the comfort of His stabilizing presence. There is so much more to say, stay tuned!

Are science and faith compatible?

This was the subject of three short talks last night, here at the University. Giving a combination of my own thoughts and what was spoken, I want to say that it depends on which faith, and on the presuppositions of the science. It seems to me that conflicts can come in two ways, at least in the Christian context. Firstly it depends on how the Scriptures are interpreted, and secondly on the interpretation of the data.

One helpful distinction was made between empirical science, where we are essentially looking at repeatable experiments, and scientism. Wikipedia defines scientism as a term generally used to describe the cosmetic application of science in unwarranted situations not covered by the scientific method. In fact, the term was only mentioned in passing. The point is that evolution is not empirical science and going in this direction could have opened up a whole new can of worms. But perhaps she has a different definition of scientism, and for sure some forms are more dubious than others.

One of the forms that I regard as extreme is naturalism. Wikipedia defines this as a philosophical viewpoint according to which everything arises from natural properties and causes, and supernatural or spiritual explanations are excluded or discounted. Richard Dawkins is a strong proponent of this position. In response to questions he is unable to answer, he would say things like “We don’t know the answer to that yet, but we will.”

I want to make two related comments about this. The first is that naturalism is in fact a position of faith, and the second is that you cannot arrive at this position using the scientific method. There is a Theorem by Kurt Godel, which essentially states that no system is self verifying. So the position for example, that only things which can be verified by one or more of the five senses are valid, cannot be validated by any of the five senses. So what I’m saying is that the presuppositions of scientific naturalism, cannot be verified using scientific naturalism.

The fallacy of this position, can perhaps be most clearly seen when we try and apply naturalism to origins, in particular to the origin of the universe. There are essentially only two possible positions, either someone or something, the force or whatever, something external and independent of the universe created everything that is out of nothing. The second possibility is that nothing created everything that is out of nothing. Perhaps those who laugh those of us who believe in God, should consider the implications of the alternative positions!

We are a fragrance of life to those who are being saved, but an aroma of death to those who are perishing

The bold statement “The truth shall set you free,” may or may not be true. This phrase is a conclusion of a promise given to us by Jesus, but can only be claimed if the condition of the promise is fulfilled. The condition is “If you abide in my word” (John 8:31ff). If you are not abiding, the truth can do the very opposite. Part of what it means to abide, by the way, is to obey the Word!

When you speak the truth, even when it’s spoken in love, and it’s received negatively and it is manifestly obvious that the person was not set free by what you said, there is a real tendency to second-guess yourself, at least there is for me. Was the person ready to hear it, was it really out of love that I spoke it, am I laying a guilt trip on them, etc. etc.? The answer to these questions can be yes or no, but the fact that there is a negative reaction should not form the whole basis of our answers.

What I understand the quotation at the head of this post from 2 Corinthians 2:15,16 to be saying, is that the very presence of those who are being saved is an aroma of death to those who are not receiving the truth. There are many forms of death, and one of them is the kind of a death we experience when we are coming to the end of ourselves. You know what I mean, I’m talking about coming to the end of our rope. It feels like death, but it can be the turning point, the crossroads that leads to life (2 Corinthians 7:10). Verse 16 of the above quote ends with the question “Who is sufficient for these things?” I am certainly not, and these things are difficult for me, but I also know that the Lord may be bringing these things to my attention so that I will pray accordingly!

Sometimes, when the impact of what is said may seem to have rolled off the person like water off a ducks back, but it may become obvious later, that what was said has gone deep. This is the case with me this morning, as a fuller impact of what I said is being revealed. And the question “who is sufficient for these things” is actually helpful. And as I brought this to the Lord this morning in fear and trembling I am feeling that I am being told that it is better for this person to have heard what I said, whilst it still possible to do something about it, than for this person on that day to be asked about it when it’s too late. The Scripture says that we will have to give an account for every idle word (Matthew 12:36). For the Christian, we are not talking about salvation here, for “he shall be saved, yet as through fire “ (2 Corinthians 3:14?).

Father, sometimes these things are too heavy to bear, in fact they are impossible to bear alone. But You I promised never to leave us nor forsake us, and I needed to hide myself in You this morning. Lord I know this is all part of the refining process for me. And I thank You Lord for your discipline, and for Your assurance. I thank You too, that I can trust You to redeem my mistakes when I make them. In Jesus Name Amen

Guilt and shame banished! (III)

If anyone ever found out what I did, I would just die! Shame, in some ways is more powerful, more debilitating than guilt. Guilt says “You did something wrong!” Shame says “There's something wrong with you!" As I mentioned last day, the cure for guilt is to be forgiven, and in the end God is the only one who can truly forgive. Thank God he is ready and willing and able to forgive, in fact He is even just to forgive (1 John 1:9).

But what can be done if I am defective, if there’s something wrong with me? In fact, we are all a mixture of good and evil, right and wrong, sinner and saint. There is some truth, in the silly characterization of a red suited horned devil on one shoulder, and an angel on the other. The truth is that there is something noble about mankind, this is because we are all made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). On the other hand we have all inherited the sin nature, and we have all sinned (Romans 3:23), so we all need to be saved, to be “ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven” as the hymn writer puts it! But I have found that shame often exists even after we have received His forgiveness.

This series of three posts on guilt and shame banished, was in fact prompted by my meditating on public testimonies of those who have completed principle 4 of the 8 principle alternative to a classical 12-step program. The 4th principle reads “Openly examine and confessed my faults to myself, to God and to someone I trust.” For many, while confessing to someone they trust was the most difficult, it was also the most liberating.

The scriptural basis for this part of the 4th principle comes from James 5:16 which says “Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another that you might be healed.” And one of the more notable healings, is the freedom from shame. I have known this verse for many years, and had sought to put it into practice, but it was only after I joined and began to work the program I am referring to (Celebrate Recovery), that I found healing from shame. Up until that point I had been able to find people who were willing to hear my confession, but not who willing to be vulnerable about their own faults. And this left me feeling vulnerable!

In the above Scripture from James it says “confess your faults to one another.” The point is that it needs to be mutual, “to one another,” implies give-and-take, back-and-forth, and it was only when I was receiving back, that I found freedom from shame. Normally the “someone you trust,” is your sponsor, and when I confessed my deepest darkest secret to my sponsor, his response was “I did that too!” And now, that deep shame I had felt for so many years, has simply gone.

Father, it really is important to find a safe place, that safe person or persons, who will not judge you, and this is rarer than it should be. But thank You that I finally found such a place, and that I can now truly sing “ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven.” And indeed “Who like me Your praise should sing?” I do, and I will sing Your praise. Hallelujah, in Jesus Name Amen

Guilt and shame banished (II)!

Jesus is alright, but you had better watch out for Father God. Many people seem to have this impression of God, that He is out to get you, that He is just waiting for you to make some mistake, so He can condemn you. In fact nothing can be further from the truth. Jesus tells us, that when we have seen Him (Jesus), truly seen Him, we have seen the father (John 14:9). In other words the character of Jesus is precisely the character of Father God. The story I like the best about this, is the woman caught in the very act of adultery. The crowd, who had wanted to condemn her were shamed into leaving. When Jesus asked her where were those who would condemn her, she replied that they were none. “Neither do I condemn you,” says Jesus “go and sin no more” (John 8:1ff). He does not condemn, but neither does condone the sin. He knows that sin is destructive in our lives.

In fact in “Guilt and shame banished (I),” I suggested that one of the reasons we hide our sin even from ourselves, is that we either don’t know, or don’t believe that we can be forgiven. So we try to hide our sin, pretend it did not happen. But this way of dealing with our guilt simply does not work. In particular as I suggested in the previous post, sin has detrimental effects to our physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Now there is only one cure for guilt, and that is to be forgiven. And in the end God is the only one who can forgive us our sins. In fact, as the Scripture says, in a real sense God is the offended One. David, in confessing his sin of adultery and murder over the Bathsheba incident says “Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:4). After having confessed his sin to God he is able to say with joy "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity” (Psalm 32:1, 2).

The price of our forgiveness is costly. Since God is just, sin must be punished. If you ask those who are familiar with Christianity why did Jesus die, you will likely get the correct answer, that he died for our sins. But I have discovered there is very little understanding all what this actually means. If you are taken to court and fined, but you don’t have the money to pay the fine, justice can be served if the fine is paid for by a friend. The Scripture tells us “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23). Wages are what you get for what you did, and the penalty for sin if unpaid, is the death of eternal separation from God. That is, eternal separation from everything that is good, from the source of love and peace and joy etc. The last part of the above verse starts with a “but.” "But" changes everything! We read “but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” In fact the only way to be forgiven, is to receive it as a gift.

1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That is He is faithful and just to forgive us, because of what Christ did on the cross. We have to fulfill the condition of the promise of course, we have to confess our sin, and this of course includes turning from it. But the verse also says that He is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, from the defilement of it all. Surely when we fully understand this, we will run to Him!

In the words of the hymn “My guilt is gone, I’ve been set free!” Praise the Lord! In the third post in this series we will look primarily at shame banished.

Father, thank You for your incredible gift. Thank You Lord Jesus that You came and died in my place in order that I may be able to spend eternity with You. Words cannot really express my gratitude that not only do I have a place in heaven with You in the hereafter, but that You are giving me life and health and peace in the here and now. I praise and bless Your holy name in Jesus Name Amen

Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10)

There are mornings, when I feel more inadequate than others, less up to the task He calls me to. This morning is one of those mornings, and my emotional state seems to be casting me back to the time when I was very weak. At that time, I had not yet learned to be strong in the Lord, in other words I was trying to be strong in my own strength, and I was failing miserably. At that very time the Lord told me I had to be strong, the very thing I was not!

There followed a rather long process of me learning to be strong in the Lord. And as I looked back this morning on the journey, the Lord reminded me of a similar journey that Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 1:8ff “We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us.

Now I am not pretending that my burdens were as great as Paul’s (see 2 Corinthians 11:22-28), but like him, I had certainly come to the end of my rope. At such times a crossroads lies before us, we can despair, or we can throw ourselves on the Lord. Paul was without strength (2 Corinthians 1:8), and I was without strength. And like Paul I too was delivered from this form of death. In fact as I write and meditate on these things I can feel myself coming out of myself. And so I can also say with Paul that I am being delivered!

I have to say, that I really don’t understand how the Lord does this, how from being weak because I am using only my own strength, to becoming strong because I am learning to take on His strength. But I have a description of what it feels like. In Matthew 11:29,30 Jesus says “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” I see this as a variable yoke, an unequal yoke in the good sense (see 2 Corinthians 6:14)). If a young ox was yoked with an old ox, the young aux was put on the shorter end of the yoke (the harness, that tied the two oxen together). In this way they could plow a straight furrow, and the older ox did less work than the younger one. It's like the principle of leavers in physics.

It is important to note that Jesus said His yoke was easy, not that it was nonexistent. What I am saying, is that we are still involved in the process, we have to do what we can do. When we do this the Lord takes up the slack. It is a partnership, and we are yoked together with the One who has all the might and the power. So in fact, no matter how weak I am in my own strength, I can go forward in partnership with the Lord to do what He has called me to do.

Father, thank you for reminding me at this principle this morning, as I came to You in weakness. Like Paul, I can say when I am weak, then I am strong (Corinthians 12:9). It’s nonsense to the world, but You are real, and You are a very present help in time of need. Thank You Lord that You are strengthening me even as I write, and that these things keep me coming back to You who is the source and ground of my strength, my hope and my deliverance. I love You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Guilt and shame banished (I)!

Principle 4 of the 8 principle alternative to the 12-step program reads “Openly examining and confessed my faults to myself, to God and to someone I trust.” Freedom, peace of mind and joy, is the common testimony of those who fearlessly and with integrity have completed this step. On the other hand, this is the step where many drop out. One of the leaders questions for the open share discussion of this principle is “Which do you find more difficult: confessing to God, yourself or to someone you trust?” This morning I want to blog about the difficulty of confessing to ourselves. There will be more to come!

Being honest with our self is more difficult than we might imagine. Human nature seems to have this tendency to minimize our own faults, and maximize the other person’s. It’s called the blame game, and it’s as old as life itself. When God asked Adam “Did you eat of the fruit of the tree I commanded you not to eat?” The very first words out of his mouth was “The woman,” in other words it was her fault. This was quickly followed by “that You gave,” in other words it’s Your fault too God. It was You who gave her to me!

I remember years ago, in trying to sort out some difficulties within a fellowship, I was told “I don’t do introspection!” I guess I could have asked why, but I didn’t think of it at the time. in any case, I know the answer. It’s just too hard and too painful. In particular, we tend to bury our guilt and shame. This too is as old as the hills. Adam and Eve hid from God, and by covering themselves with fig leaves they hid from each other and in fact from themselves! So then this tendency to hide our faults even from ourselves, is very common. It is of course much easier to see in others. But it does not bring health and life and peace!

The saying “The unexamined life is not worth living,” is attributed to Socrates. But it is also evidenced in the Psalms. King David, most likely talking about his adultery with Bathsheba, and the subsequent murder of her husband says “When I kept silent, my bones grew old, through my groaning all the day long” (Psalm 32:3). The author of the Tyndale commentary on this verse remarks “Even human estrangements can produce this deep unrest of mind and body – and still be doggedly kept up.”

This phenomenon can perhaps best be described as denial, and perhaps the biggest manifestation of denial is the denial that we are in denial! But the problem, to whith the Scriptures again attest, is that “He who conceals his sin does not prosper” (Proverbs 28:13). The verse continues “but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” In fact turning from our sin, and turning over a new leaf, brings health to our flesh, and strength to our bones (Proverbs 3:8).

The gospel is often described as good news, but the good news makes no sense without the bad news. And there’s a kind of Catch-22 that goes on here. What I mean is that until we know we can be forgiven and cleansed from our sin, it’s very difficult to confess it. On the other hand, when we deny our sin we cannot even see that we need to be forgiven. It’s one of the devils traps. More to come tomorrow!

Father, from this side, denial makes absolutely no sense. Knowing that You are faithful and just not only to forgive my sins but also to cleanse me from all the defilement thereof (1 John 1:9), helps me to keep short accounts with You. Please keep me close to You, so that my life may be a living testimony that in You is life and health and peace. In Jesus Name Amen

Journey into the heart of God

While preparing this morning for tonight’s session on hearing God’s voice, the phrase at the title of this post burst onto my consciousness. And with it came the thought that our ability to hear God’s voice accurately, is not independent of our walk, our talk, and our character. The biggest problem for me when seeking guidance for example, comes when I do not want to go into the direction I suspect He might be wanting me to go.

Now I’m not one of these people, who believe that the way to find God’s will is to figure out what you don’t want to do, and conclude that that is God’s will! But I do know my heart well enough to know, that what I want or don’t want, may or may not be the best course of action. So if I’m going to ask Him for direction, it’s important first and foremost that I trust Him, but also If I ask, then I had better be willing to follow through. The point I’m making, or at least one of the points I am trying to make, is that the ability to hear God’s voice accurately is closely connected with these two things, my trust in Him, and my willingness to obey.

Please don’t get me wrong here, I am not saying that truth, that correct doctrine is not important, but I did not become a Christian because I was persuaded through propositional truth. I came to Christ because I was desperate, I needed peace and hope and joy. I needed to be lifted out of the desolate pit that I had dug for myself. And when I surrendered to Him, to His wooing, I found these things though the circumstances did not change. That was my first step into the heart of God. I knew, I experienced, the love of God, and it enabled me not only to survive, but progressively to thrive. It did not happen all at once, it is a journey, a journey into the Heart of God!

I have discovered, that God is a jealous lover (Exodus 20:5, and the very first commandment is that I shall have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3). We laugh at the ancients who would make idols of wood and stone and worship them, but modern-day idols are just as foolish. An idol is anything in which we put our trust other than God, be it other people, be it our intellect, be it our agenda for life. So even after conversion, I still had my hurts, habits and hangups and He showed me that unless I put him first, unless I was willing to forsake my sin for example, then my journey into the heart of God was outward away from Him, rather than inward towards Him.

I have often used the verse from Jeremiah 29:13 “You will search me and find me when you search for me with all of your heart,” to challenge those who do not know Him. But I find I need this promise for myself. In other words I will find my way deeper into the heart of God with its accompanying peace, joy, hope and rest, when I continue to search for Him with all of my heart.

Father, I cannot do this without You. There are so many things that would trip me up, there are so many things at which to take offence, there is an enemy who is intent on my destruction. Thank You Lord that since You are for me, no one, and nothing that can separate me from Your love (Romans 8:31-39). But the more I get, the more I want. Keep me searching Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist

In this passage from Ephesians 6:14, Paul compares truth to a piece of Roman armour, the belt. The Roman belt was said to have a number of purposes, for example to give support, but also to hold the sword which Paul tells us is the Word of God (verse 17).

Truth today is under attack, as it perhaps has always been. There are in fact three questions worth asking for 21 century man. Firstly does truth exist, secondly if it does can it be known, and thirdly if the answer to the first two questions is yes, how can we know it?

There is much talk today about “my truth,” and “your truth.” We hear things like “That may be true for you, but it is not true for me.” In other words truth is relative. And this makes sense at some level. I mean it is wrong for an alcoholic to take a single drink, but the Bible does not condemn consumption of alcohol period. It does of course tell us not be be drunk (Ephesians 5:18). But is all truth relative? Actually the statement “All truth is relative” is an absolute statement and so self contradictory. To see this we ask “all truth, absolutely all truth is relative?” What I am saying is that if the answer is “yes,” the statement is an absolute statement and so self contradictory! In fact the contradiction behind this statement shows that while some truth can be relative, not all truth is relative. In other words truth exists.

So secondly “Can it be known?” The Christian answer is yes, in fact Jesus tells us that He can into the world to testify of the truth (John 18: 37). Some even doubt the existence of Christ, but no serious historian does. And in the end the question is “What do you do with Jesus?” Jesus claims to be the Son of God, and while this too is disputed, it can only be done by twisting the Scriptures. In fact the clearest statement comes in the Old Testament, where the child born, the Son given has the name “the Almighty God” (Isaiah 9:6).

So what do we do with this claim of Jesus? Is He a liar, is he deluded? In C. S. Lewis’s famous trichotomy He is either a liar, a lunatic, or He is Lord! Lewis says that if you reject the first two, then you must accept the third, He is Lord. And if He is Lord He also tells the truth, in fact He is the Truth (John 14:6). So can truth be known? Jesus says so, and God is not a man that he should lie (Numbers 29:18), in fact He tells us that if we continue in His Word, then we will know the Truth and the truth will set us free (John 8:31).

So in fact, this last quotation, tells us not only that truth can be known, but it tells us how to find it. We find truth when we find Him!

Father, thank You that we have not believed cunningly devised fables (2 Peter 1:16). Thank You that in these last days You have made Yourself known in and through Your Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1). Thank You that truth is much more than a collection of propositional statements, truth is a person, truth it is Jesus Christ. So knowing truth is about knowing You. Thank You that You have promised if we search for Uou with all of our heart we will find You (Jeremiah 29:13). Thank You that in You is life and health and peace. Thank You that I can stand firm in these truths, and that they stabilize me in Jesus Name Amen!

Above all take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the Evil one

“How goes the battle?” ‘Getting through against incredible odds!’ Do you feel that life is a battle? It seems to me, that there is a war on two fronts. First of all is the outward war, you know the stuff that happens, the things that trip you up, the mean things that people say and do. Then there is the inter war, the war for sanity if you like. For me, for the longest time, the interwar was the fiercest. I used to paraphrase the Scripture that comes four verses before the one in the title of this post (Ephesians 6:12) as “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but we do wrestle!”

Some would ridicule the belief that there is a devil. It seems to me though, that one of his lies is that he does not exist. For me it’s very helpful to know that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. In other words, other people are not the enemy. What I mean is that when somebody does, or says something mean, I can think of it as being the evil one using that person to try and get to me. So that the meanness is ultimately prompted by the one who hates my soul. And this helps me to deal with it. In particular, I remember that it is part of the war, and I can recognize it as a fiery dart.

When I see this, I know what to do, I can quench that fiery with the shield of faith. For example I can take authority over my tendency to obsess on what has happened, and in faith, replace my negative thoughts by believing the truth. And the truth is that I am loved by Almighty God, I am a favourite son, and what He thinks about me, which is always encouraging, is far more important than what is happening, and what other people are saying to, or about me.

Another part of what it means to take the shield of faith, is to believe what He says in His Word. For instance “We know, that God works all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28), or “I will never leave you know forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), or “Come on to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). In this way I can allow the incident to draw me closer to the Lover of my soul. When I learn to do this consistently, the fiery darts are indeed quenched!

Father, thank You that this faith stuff is intensely practical. Thank You that as I draw close to You I am increasingly able to rise above the circumstances, and increasingly able to enter into the joy You have promised. I praise and bless and worship Your holy name this morning. In Jesus Name Amen

in whom (Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge

One of my favourite Socrates stories (not that I know a lot of them) is the one where he discovered that he was the wisest man in the world. He denied it at first, and they took him to talk to those who were said to be wise. The point is that each one of them thought of themselves as wise. Socrates, on the other hand knew he was not. But, he told himself, “I am clearly wiser than these who think themselves wise when they are not!”

In the academic community I see, over and over, that the wisdom of the ancient scriptures is dismissed. But if it is true (and it is) that in Christ and in His Word (for He is the Word - John 1:1) are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3), then like those of Socrates’ day they “professing themselves to be wise, they become fools” (Romans 1:22).

There is much to say about wisdom, but the main thing I want to emphasize this morning, is that it seems to me that wisdom, character and behaviour are very closely related. Perhaps the most obvious example is that drugs mess up the mind, but so does bitterness and strife, or envy and self seeking. True wisdom on the other hand, is seen in those who are “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17).

Father, in the very same chapter just quoted from James, we are told that in many things we all fail (verse 2). I am not Lord as wise as I would like to be, I know I have certainly not arrived. But thank You Lord, that I am not as foolish as I used to be. Continue to draw me to Yourself, and help me to continue to seek You and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are hidden in You (Colossians 2:3). In Jesus Name Amen

Be still, and know that I am God

The first step in the teachings of Mark Virkler on hearing God’s voice, is to quiet yourself down. It makes a lot of sense, since more often than not, God speaks to us in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12). This quietening yourself down is not always easy, and as in many other situations, I find myself being tested on the things that I am seeking to teach. In particular I have found myself over the last week wrestling in my spirit, more than I have for some time!

As I sought to obey the command at the head of this post from Psalm 46:10, the prayer “know my anxious thoughts” (Psalm 39:23) came to mind. Recognizing that I was having anxious thoughts helped me to start to put into practice what I have been trying to teach.

The complete quote from Psalm 39 is ”Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my anxious thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” So the first point is to make sure there is no unconfessed sin in my life. I had been feeling some vague condemnation about something that I had said at a meeting. As I brought this to the Lord, I realized this was shame. There’s a big difference between conviction, and condemnation. Conviction has to do with some sin that I have committed. Condemnation is usually vague, not specific, and this is how to recognize that it is not from the Lord, but rather from the enemy (Romans 8:1). So I took authority over those thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5). If it had been conviction, I could have repented and received the Lord’s cleansing and forgiveness (1 John 1:9).

Then, when I know there is nothing in my life that is separating me from the Lord, I can start to obey the command to be still and know that He is God. I have come to understand that many times anxious thoughts, or obsessive thinking, is left brain activity. So then I can deliberately switch to right brain activity. I can do this by picturing in my mind, the secret place I used to flee too when I was troubled. In this place there is a waterfall on a brook. It’s a refuge from the concrete jungle most of us live in most of the time. In my mind I can hear the water, see the trees, and start to feel the peace. I can picture Jesus there with me, and I can hear Him speak his promises over me.

Father, thank You for Your word to me this morning even as I sought to obey the command to be still and know that You are God. Thank You for reminding me that You are for me and not against me (Romans 8:31), thank You for reminding me that You will never leave me nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6). Thank You for reminding me that You will strengthen me and uphold me with Your right hand of righteousness (Isaiah 41:10). Thank You that those reading this post can claim these very same promises. In Jesus Name Amen

Big boys (girls) don't cry

Many of us, grew up with such shame-based guilt trips (or worse). We may have being called “crybaby,” or told to pull ourselves together or “If you don’t stop crying I will give you something to cry about.” Modern research however, reveals that tears can be healing. But of course the Bible got their first. For example Jesus wept (John 11:35), and Paul tells us “I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears .... (2 Corinthians 2:4).

Nevertheless, research can give us insight into these things. For example Biochemist and “tear expert” Dr. William Frey at the Ramsey Medical Center in Minneapolis discovered that reflex tears are 98% water, whereas emotional tears also contain stress hormones which get excreted from the body through crying. ... In addition to physical detoxification, emotional tears heal the heart.

That emotional tears always heal the heart, doesn’t seem to be quite right. Paraphrasing Jonathan Rottenberg in an article entitled “Crying is not always beneficial” (Psychology Today blog 21 July 2010), says among other things, that the benefits of crying are more likely in settings where people are dealing with their stuff. He also talks about it being for people who are comfortable expressing their emotions, and also when the people crying are not depressed or anxious. The biblical examples given above are not of this latter kind.

But I want to pick up on this thought about people who are not comfortable expressing their emotions. I do believe that when dealt with properly, tears can be healing even for those who are not comfortable expressing their emotions. Let me explain.

In ministry, I have found that people who are not comfortable with crying, often had the type of experience referred to in the title of this post when they were young. Also in ministry, I have encountered people who are so wounded they are afraid to cry precisely because, they fear that if they ever get started they will never stop. This is where people who have been deeply wounded and have received healing themselves, are able to help.

Part of Jesus’s mandate, was and is to heal the brokenhearted (Luke 4:18). And in doing this, He often uses “wounded healers.” In other words, as in part of the 12th step of any 12-step program “ Having had a spiritual awakening …., we tried to carry this message to” others. In particular I have had the privilege of watching God at work precisely in this area, as a wounded healer came alongside one who was afraid to cry, and cried for her. After a while she was able to cry appropriately. And these tears were indeed healing.

Father, I thank You that Your word is true, I thank You that You do indeed heal the broken hearted and set the prisoners free. Thank You Lord for what You have done in my life. Help me Lord to be able to share with others the hope of healing that You have given me. In Jesus Name Amen

Are you happy?

It was a question I was asked the other day, and my answer was that yes I am. Will I be even more happy when the Lord comes through with the promise I have been waiting for, forever? The verse that comes to mind is from Psalm 126:1, 2 “When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongues with singing.” Indeed, I am expecting my mouth to be filled with laughter, and my tongue to sing His praise when He restores my fortunes!

But I would not be telling the whole story, if I did not confess that I also relate very much to a later part of that Psalm which says “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy” (verse 5). What I am saying, is that I have shed many tears, and many times continue to shed tears. But the point is that I stand on his promise, that I shall reap in joy. On top of this, I have learned to push through the tears to the joy that is available when I do this.

There are many differences between happiness and joy. The one that comes to mind this morning, is that when we seek happiness, it is elusive. In fact for the longest time the periods where I could describe as the happiest times in my life, it was only in retrospect that I could say that. Joy on the other hand, can be sought. In fact it is a command “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).

With regards to pushing through the tears to joy, there are mornings I wake up and I’m not happy. And at these times I determine to obey the command to rejoice. So how does that work, what does it look like? This was a very question we were asking ourselves at the Fellowship last night.

The first answer that came was “I pray.” Yes, but what do you pray, and how does that work? In the end we all agreed that we came back over and over again to the promises that the Lord had underlined for us individually. It is interesting to note that more than one of us had the very same verse from Psalm 30:5 “Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” And the main ingredient that we got out of this and the other promises we shared, is hope. Coming back to hope, choosing to stand in faith and believe that His promises are true, is a big part of learning to be content in whatsoever state I am (Philippians 4:11). And this state it is, I believe what happiness is all about, but far greater then happiness is joy, and we can have joy even in the midst of trials, temptations and difficulties (James 1:2).

Father, in the end seeking joy, is all about seeking You. You told Abraham “I am your exceedingly great reward (Genesis 15:1)!” It’s all about You Lord, about drawing close, about choosing to trust You, allowing hope to rise that joy will indeed come in my morning. Thank You for helping me in the difficult times to come back to joy. Thank You that is not all up to me, because when I seek to obey the command to rejoice, then You do Your part giving me joy as part of the fruit of Your Spirit. Bless you Lord I thank you Lord and I worship You in Jesus Name Amen

I will restore the years that the locusts have eaten

I have gone through a whole gamut of emotions this morning, following a difficult conversation I had last night with a loved one who is not serving the Lord. The first emotion was grief, grief at what the thief has stolen, killed and destroyed (John 10:10a), grief at the various states of devastation left in the wake of generational baggage that for the longest time I did not even know existed (Exodus 20:5). You cannot address issues you are not aware of! But God..... (Genesis 20:6).

The verse at the head of this post from Joel 2:25 relates back to Joel 1:4 which says “What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; And what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;  And what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.” The thing to notice here, is that there is a progression of devastation. It describes many of our lives!

I know what to do at times like this, I need to go over the promises that He has given me, and I need to sit before Him in His presence until he restores peace and hope and joy (Genesis 32:26). I am probably repeating myself here, but I have learned that I need to contend for the promises that God has given me. The promise from Joel 1:4 was given to me many, many years ago. And God has been faithful in my own life, but it is not yet fulfilled in those I love, in those I hold in my heart. So I am stirred up this morning, to contend for this promise to be fulfilled in my loved ones too.

Father, You tell me to keep on knocking, to keep on asking to be tenacious rather than to passively let the promises just sit there. There is something about me going over the promises You have given me Lord, and essentially saying to You over and over and over “You promised, You promised, You promised.” I think this is part of me standing in faith. But I also know, that I am strengthened and encouraged when I do this. Thank you Lord in Jesus Name Amen